What we believe in

Our vision:

All people working in the global garment and sportswear industries enjoy and exercise their human rights at work and in the community and are able to defend and improve these rights.

Our mission:

The Clean Clothes Campaign network works to structurally improve working conditions and support the empowerment of manufacturing workers in the global garment and sportswear industries. We

• Put pressure on companies* and governments to take responsibility to ensure that the rights of manufacturing workers in global supply chains are respected and implemented;

• Work in solidarity with organised workers in global supply chains fighting for their rights anywhere from the workplace to the global level; and take action on concrete cases of violations of the rights of workers and activists;

• Raise awareness and mobilise people to undertake individual and collective action (linked to consumption, citizenship, work, investment or other areas of life);

• Explore judicial mechanisms and lobby for legislation to protect workers’ rights and hold companies accountable;

• Promote public and private procurement that ensures workers’ rights are respected in the production process;

• Work together to develop our own network and strengthen the global alliance for workers’ rights.

 * The term "company" refers to all companies that we hold responsible for working conditions and workers’ rights in garment and sportswear supply chains including global garment and sportswear brands, retailers, agents, global and national manufacturers and sub-contractors.

The Clean Clothes Campaign's work is founded upon the following principles:

• All workers—regardless of sex, age, country of origin, legal status, employment status or location, or any other basis—have a right to good and safe working conditions, where they can exercise their fundamental rights to associate freely and bargain collectively, and earn a living wage, which allows them to live in dignity.

• Workers have a right to know about their rights (under national and international law and agreements, as well as under voluntary initiatives and agreements). They are entitled to education and training in relation to these rights.

• The public has a right to know where and how their garments and sports shoes are produced.
  
  

  

• Workers themselves can and should take the lead in their own organising and empowerment.

• Workers can best assess their needs and the risks they take when asserting their rights. Public campaigns and other initiatives to take action in cases of rights violations and the development of strategies to address these issues must be done in consultation with workers or their representatives.

• The public can and should take action to see that workers' rights are respected. However, the CCC does not generally endorse or promote boycotts as a tool for action.

• In order to achieve and maintain workers' rights, the gender issues underlying or facilitating rights violations must be addressed.

• National governments and international authorities have an obligation to implement legislation and sanction any failure to do so. Binding legislation should exist that meets the standards set out in ILO conventions; They also should implement ethical procurement policies.

• The garment and sports shoe industries (including factory owners, agents, manufacturing companies, brand name garment corporations, retailers, and others) have a responsibility to ensure that good labour practices are the norm at all levels of the industry. Given the current structure of the industry, brand name garment companies and retailers must use their position of power to ensure good labour standards are met.

• Brand name garment companies and retailers should adopt a code of labour practice that follows the standards outlined in the CCC model code, commit to implement these standards throughout the garment production subcontracting chain, and participate in credible, transparent and participatory multi-stakeholder verification initiatives in order to develop, guide and oversee code implementation activities.

• Brand name garment companies and retailers should actively pursue social dialogue with trade union organizations, and sign international framework agreements to facilitate such dialogue.
  
  

• Companies must be transparent about conditions in, and the structure of, their supply networks and regarding actions undertaken to uphold good labour standards.

• Trade unions and NGOs should cooperate nationally, regionally and globally to improve conditions in the garment and sports shoe industries and facilitate worker empowerment, without resorting to protectionism. Such cooperation should be based on mutual respect  for each others different roles and methods, open and active communication, participatory consensus building  and constructive criticism.

Read more about our Gender Policy Statement.